Ash tray



Jan. 6, 1948. w STEVENSON 2,434,181

ASH TRAY Filed Oct. 28, 1946 17 M'///'am fferehson Patented Jan. 6, 1948 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE My invention relates to ash trays in which means are provided to support an unextinguished cigarette, which means is conventionally in the form of a rest or ledge at the edge of the receptacle into which the ash drops. In customarily placing a cigarette on such a ledge its butt end projects from the receptacle for convenience of removal. When a smoker forgets to remove it accidents frequently result due to the cigarette burning down and dropping onto the floor or a table on which the tray rests. Such accidents are commonplace and the attendant fire hazard and injury to furnishings are Well recognized.

The present invention has for its object to provide an ash tray in which a lighted cigarette will be caused to drop into the ash tray from a ledged position as it grows shorter. The invention provides a safety ash tray of a novel structure comprising the combination and arrangement of parts described in the ensuing specification and shown in the accompanying drawing.

A selected form of the invention is shown in the drawing, in which Fig. 1 is a plan view of an ash tray constructed in accordance with the invention.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the tray broken away to show the interior structure.

Fig. 3 is a view in perspective of a fragment of the tray depicting how the rest or ledge serves in conjunction with a deflector to veer a cigarette into the receptacle.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

An ash tray of a form suitable for carrying out the invention is denoted as a whole by the reference numeral 5 and provides a receptacle 6 of a bowl-shaped configuration. The ash tray is of a type for resting upon a table as by the feet I. It obviously could, however, be of the floor-stand type if so desired.

Within the receptacle 6 there is provided a plurality of rests or ledges 8 each for individually supporting a cigarette, indicated at 9, in usual disposition with its ignited end well within the rim IQ of the side wall with its butt end disposed outwardly thereover for convenient grasping in picking up the cigarette-see Figs. 1 and 2. Said rests or ledges are located adjacent to said rim It! but separated therefrom an intervening space of a greater width than a cigarette.

Any number of rests or ledges 8 may be used and they are of identical construction, hence a detailed description or" one will suffice. The rest or ledge is preferably provided with a fiat seating surface ll for a cigarette placed crosswise there there is provided a biased edge [4 extending thereacross on an inward angle from the arm l3. This biased edge I4 functions as a deflector so that when the cigarette grows smaller in burning and starts to drop from its overlying butt end the biased edge will skew the cigarette transversely as it tilts in order to cause it to drop between the rest or ledge and the rim l0.

Said rim is provided with a co-acting deflector l5 in the form of a wall element rising above the seat II and having a biased edge l6 inclined upwardly in the direction of the inner end of the biased edge I4 and disposed so that the butt end of the cigarette lies between it and the outer arm 13. As the cigarette begins to topple from the seat II the arm I3 serves to laterally shoulder the cigarette so that its butt end will be positively guided by the outer deflecting edge l6 which cooperates with the inner deflecting edge M to as-' sure that the cigarette will be turned askew to fall into the receptacle. With this arrangement there is no likelihood of the burning cigarette dropping to the outside of the ash tray.

The rest or ledge is shown by way of example but not of limitation as provided on a head ll of a standard formed by a headed screw [8 and a sleeve 19. The screw is threadedly engaged with a collar which forms one of the feet I. The head ll is recessed as at 20 to provide a snufier. 0bviously such details of construction may be modified without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

What I claim is:

1. An ash tray having a side wall terminating in a rim, a rest or ledge for a cigarette disposed in the ash tray adjacent to the said rim and spaced therefrom to enable the cigarette to .drop therebetween, means supporting said rest or ledge, said rest or ledge having a seating surface spaced with respect to said side wall and elevated with respect to the bottom of said ash tray to enable the butt end of the cigarette to extend outwardly over said rim, and means for causing the cigarette to skew in dropping from said rest or ledge in burning down so as to fall within the ash tray, said means comprising an element rising from said rest or ledge at the outer side thereof to form a shoulder at one side of the cigarette, and a biased edge formed on said rest or ledge at an inward angle with respect to the edge of the rest or ledge opposite the biased edge so as to serve as a deflector for bringing about the skewing of the cigarette as it tilts in toppling.

2. An ash tray as set forth in claim 1, in which said rest or ledge is provided with a pair of spaced inner arms between which the cigarette is placed, and in which said shoulder-forming element consists of a single arm.

3. An ash tray having a side wall terminating in a rim, a rest or ledge for a cigarette disposed in the ash tray adjacent to the said rim and spaced therefrom to enable the cigarette to drop therebetween, means supporting said rest or ledge, said rest or ledge having a seating surface spaced with respect to said side wall and elevated with respect to the bottom of said ash tray to enable the butt end of the cigarette to extend outwardly over i said rim, and means for causing the cigarette t skew in dropping from said rest or ledge in burning down so as to fall within the ash tray, said means comprising a biased element formed on the outer side of said rest or ledge at an inward angle with respect to the edge of the rest or ledge opposite the biased element, and a deflector disposed outwardly thereof in the form of a wall element rising above said seat and having a biased edge upwardly inclined for engaging the butt end of the cigarette.

4. An ash tray having a side wall terminating in a rim, a rest or ledge for a cigarette disposed in the ash tray adjacent to the said rim and spaced therefrom to enable the cigarette to drop therebetween, means supporting said rest or ledge, said rest or ledge having a seating surface spaced with respect to said side-wall and elevated with respect to the bottom of said ash tray to enable the butt end of the cigarette to extend outwardly over said rim, and means for causing the cigarette to skew in dropping from said rest or ledge in burning down so as to fall within the ash tray, said means comprising a biased edge formed on the outer side of said rest or ledge at an inward angle with respect to the edge of the rest rest or ledge having a seating surface spaced with respect to said side wall and elevated with respect to the bottom of said ash tray to enable the butt end of the cigarette to extend outwardly over said rim. and means for causing the cigarette to skew in dropping from said rest or ledge in burn- I ing down so as to fall within the ash tray. said means comprising an arm rising from said rest or ledge at the outer side thereof to form a shoulder at one side of the cigarette, a biased edge formed on said rest or ledge at an inward angle with respect to the edge of the rest or ledge opposite the biased edge so as to serve as a deflector, and a wall element on said side wall rising above the rim thereof and having a biased edge upwardly inclined and extended in the same direction as the said first biased edge for engaging the butt end of the cigarette to serve as a co-acting deflector.

6. A structure as set forth in claim 5, in which the means supporting the rest or ledge comprises a standard mounted on the bottom of said ash tray.

WILLIAM STEVENSON.

REFERENCES CITED UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Neahr Apr. 28, 1931 Number 

